Stephen Goldberg, Matrix Technologies, Inc. PostedTuesday, July 12, 2016 Q Why did you choose a career in control system integration? A I started off as a software engineer and found myself implementing a control system. The experience made me want to learn more about control system integration. I was fortunate enough to find Matrix Technologies and I’ve been here for 27 years because I find this business interesting. At Matrix, I am involved in many different processes, including steel, glass, food, industrial chemicals and automobiles. In addition, we are often providing solutions to our industry clients that are on the technological edge, which keeps us on our toes. The diversity makes the job interesting. There is always something new to learn. Q What kinds of trends and challenges are you seeing in industrial automation right now? A One key trend gaining a lot of attention lately is enterprise manufacturing intelligence—the need for more and faster data to help clients effectively run their operations. As capital investment becomes tighter, clients must focus their efforts on existing equipment and operations, finding ways to make them more efficient and productive. Secondly, many clients are faced with challenges on their legacy systems. As the need for more connectivity is driven by the information requirements mentioned above, it is apparent that older systems do not deliver the connectivity required to meet the demands of today’s information systems. The shortage and high cost of spare parts for these systems is driving the need to replace them. Finally, as the need for information grows, there is a desire to have this information available anywhere and anytime, while keeping the information safe. This greater connectivity to the outside world is increasing the need for cyber security in plant floor systems. Q Why did Matrix Technologies become a member of CSIA? A We have always had the goal of CSIA educating system integrator clients, who benefit from a higher quality end-product that our members can deliver. Matrix Technologies was one of the organizations that founded CSIA, so our interest in driving the success is deeply rooted in our company. The major goal in forming this organization was to improve the overall quality and external image of the system integration business. CSIA accomplishes this by documenting best practices and benchmarks, designed to improve our organization and those of other member companies. Become a CSIA Certified company and you are not only recognized by the association for this achievement. The realization is that more industry clients are asking for certification as they prequalify the pool of candidates for a system integration project. Q Matrix Technologies is a CSIA Certified control systems integrator. When someone asks, “Why should I hire CSIA Certified?” what do you tell them? A People should hire CSIA Certified control system integrators because they have proven they want to be the best at what they do by continuously getting better. For us, the certification road was very consistent with continuous improvement and our ISO 9001 registration. We were first registered for ISO 9001 in 1997. The groundwork for the ISO audit prepared us for achieving the CSIA certification as one of the first of the CSIA founding members. We have remained both CSIA Certified and ISO 9001 registered through the years to demonstrate to others that we believe in continuous improvement and are dedicated to the principles of both sets of requirements. Those that do not become CSIA Certified or drop these processes may have more difficulty proving that they truly believe in continuous improvement. During the certification process, both the CSIA auditor and the ISO auditor always point out areas for improvement. We find the critique helpful as we progress toward being the best control system integrator in the business.
Q Why did you choose a career in control system integration? A I started off as a software engineer and found myself implementing a control system. The experience made me want to learn more about control system integration. I was fortunate enough to find Matrix Technologies and I’ve been here for 27 years because I find this business interesting. At Matrix, I am involved in many different processes, including steel, glass, food, industrial chemicals and automobiles. In addition, we are often providing solutions to our industry clients that are on the technological edge, which keeps us on our toes. The diversity makes the job interesting. There is always something new to learn.
Q What kinds of trends and challenges are you seeing in industrial automation right now? A One key trend gaining a lot of attention lately is enterprise manufacturing intelligence—the need for more and faster data to help clients effectively run their operations. As capital investment becomes tighter, clients must focus their efforts on existing equipment and operations, finding ways to make them more efficient and productive. Secondly, many clients are faced with challenges on their legacy systems. As the need for more connectivity is driven by the information requirements mentioned above, it is apparent that older systems do not deliver the connectivity required to meet the demands of today’s information systems. The shortage and high cost of spare parts for these systems is driving the need to replace them. Finally, as the need for information grows, there is a desire to have this information available anywhere and anytime, while keeping the information safe. This greater connectivity to the outside world is increasing the need for cyber security in plant floor systems.
Q Why did Matrix Technologies become a member of CSIA? A We have always had the goal of CSIA educating system integrator clients, who benefit from a higher quality end-product that our members can deliver. Matrix Technologies was one of the organizations that founded CSIA, so our interest in driving the success is deeply rooted in our company. The major goal in forming this organization was to improve the overall quality and external image of the system integration business. CSIA accomplishes this by documenting best practices and benchmarks, designed to improve our organization and those of other member companies. Become a CSIA Certified company and you are not only recognized by the association for this achievement. The realization is that more industry clients are asking for certification as they prequalify the pool of candidates for a system integration project.
Q Matrix Technologies is a CSIA Certified control systems integrator. When someone asks, “Why should I hire CSIA Certified?” what do you tell them? A People should hire CSIA Certified control system integrators because they have proven they want to be the best at what they do by continuously getting better. For us, the certification road was very consistent with continuous improvement and our ISO 9001 registration. We were first registered for ISO 9001 in 1997. The groundwork for the ISO audit prepared us for achieving the CSIA certification as one of the first of the CSIA founding members. We have remained both CSIA Certified and ISO 9001 registered through the years to demonstrate to others that we believe in continuous improvement and are dedicated to the principles of both sets of requirements. Those that do not become CSIA Certified or drop these processes may have more difficulty proving that they truly believe in continuous improvement. During the certification process, both the CSIA auditor and the ISO auditor always point out areas for improvement. We find the critique helpful as we progress toward being the best control system integrator in the business.